


A Lifetime With You

by clarasptx



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kidfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-14 19:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5755465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarasptx/pseuds/clarasptx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Clara spends a lifetime with the Doctor and some special companions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Younger Years

His wife and child were sleeping at last, so he returned to the control room. He sat on his favourite chair with his favourite book, and counted the minutes until he saw them again. He barely slept. He had a ‘duty of care’. He listened out for even the slightest noise from the nursery, ready to take over parenting duties for the night. Turns out Clara can’t look after an eight month old all of the time. Apparently she needs sleep.

It had been six years since Danny Pink’s death, and she was finally happy. She had a child with the man she loved, and she had her teaching job at Coal Hill School. She remembered him, of course. Five minutes a day, like he said, but for the most part she was happy. Over the last six years, she had learned to appreciate the small things, the knowing looks and the warm smiles. It became her favourite part of the day, when he’d smile at her.

The mornings mostly began with her wandering into the TARDIS kitchen, hunting for coffee, to be greeted by her husband and their daughter, smiles on their faces and coffee ready-made. Breakfast would be made by Clara, whilst the Doctor fed their child. Usually. Pancakes or Waffles, she’d ask, knowing the reply. He was a waffle man.  
Some days it was different. On the rare occasion that Clara was awake first, she’d make the coffee, and wait in the kitchen with whatever magazine the TARDIS produced for her. Some days she’d make the waffles before he arrived, keep them ready in the warmth, and he’d want pancakes. Some days were difficult.

Some days were filled with arguments over who was changing Eleanor, and who was going for a nap. Some days were filled with ‘I hate you’ and tears. Some days, the world nearly stopped. These days, were few and far between. Each unusual day made them realise just how much they loved each other. 

On Eleanor’s first birthday, they went on an adventure. Their first in almost two years. No Daleks or Cybermen, just the three of them at a picnic. Or so they thought. Missy arrived, umbrella and all, determined to ruin the day. And ruin the day she did. Clara stormed off to the TARDIS with Eleanor in tow, and slammed the doors. The Doctor ran after her, but she had locked herself in the bathroom, and fallen asleep. Typical pudding brain.

On Clara’s birthday, they left the babysitting to the TARDIS and went on a proper adventure. They visited Victorian London, of course, to catch up with the Paternoster gang, and save the world whilst they were at it. Clara got tired unusually early, so went back to the TARDIS halfway through their adventure.

Most days, they snuggled up in the library in front of the fireplace. Eleanor would play with her toy Daleks and Clara would steal the Doctor’s jumpers and wear them, knowing that they’d be too big on her. The very thought of her parading round in just one of his jumpers and knee high socks made his hearts skip a beat.

On the Doctor’s birthday, Clara was sick. She spent the day in bed, whilst the Doctor entertained Eleanor. He thought nothing of it, as people get sick sometimes. She spent the day throwing up and passing out, as the TARDIS looked after her.  
After a week of her being in bed, he began to worry. Humans get ill quite often, right? He consulted the TARDIS data bank for information. He moved her to the sick bay, and sat by her side. Eleanor was in the nursery, being looked after by the TARDIS, whilst he stayed. He’d leave her to care for Eleanor, to feed her, change her and put her to sleep, but for the rest of the time, he stayed.

She’d wake up every so often, drenched in sweat and shivering. Pneumonia, the TARDIS said. He’d wash her, and check her IV was still in place, and he’d occasionally bring their daughter to see her. To see if that would cheer her up.  
Two weeks passed, and she began to get better. She was more lucid, and was able to sit up by herself. Eleanor had begun walking, and was forming her very first words. She’d missed it. She could never forgive herself for that. 

Once she was better, the adventures resumed, they saved planets, helped species that Clara could never even imagine existing, and they became royalty on a small planet called Neptune IV. They encountered Daleks and Slitheen, Autons and Weeping Angels, and every second was wonderful. After an adventure they would return to the TARDIS and be greeted by paintings or drawings from a very messy Eleanor. They didn’t mind though, it was worth it.


	2. The Chaos Begins

It was Eleanor’s third birthday when they went back to Earth full-time. They bought a suburban house and parked the TARDIS in the garage, ready for adventures on weekends. Clara returned to teaching full time, whilst Eleanor was in nursery, and the Doctor tinkered with the TARDIS. They tried to lead a normal family life, with jobs and kids, but it wasn’t for them. They weren’t conventional.

They tried everything, from cookery classes with the neighbours (that didn’t go too well), to attempting to host garden parties (you can imagine how those went). It just didn’t work. It wasn’t what they were made for. Clara tried and tried to make a soufflé, and only once did she get it right. Proudly, in his jumper, knee high socks and her apron, she stood there with Eleanor by her side, as the Doctor took a Polaroid. ‘Memories become stories when we forget them’ he’d say. ‘Maybe some of them become songs.’ She’d reply.  
Shortly after Eleanor’s fifth birthday, and Clara’s 35th, they decided to home-school her. The Doctor and Eleanor spent their time solving quantum physics questions, whilst Clara struggled to get her year nine students to understand Romeo and Juliet. After school, they would bake and do crafts, much to the Doctor’s dismay. He did not like pipe cleaners. ‘They do not clean pipes so why are they called pipe cleaners?’ he would ask, every time. 

Time passed quickly, what with their days being full, and it was soon the Doctor’s birthday. Clara tried to plan him a surprise party, but what she didn’t know, is that he knew. Touch telepathy. He’d known pretty much as soon as she began planning it, but he didn’t tell her. She spent weeks perfecting her birthday cake as he tinkered with the TARDIS, and she even let Eleanor practice icing the cakes. She made banners and bunting, invited all of their friends, and wrapped all his presents. The morning of his birthday, she took a sneaky trip in the TARDIS to pick up the Paternoster gang, and hid them in the spare room until noon. He put on his best surprised face as Jenny, Vastra and Strax walked into the living room, and was genuinely thrilled by the presents he got. The best bit was spending time with his family and friends. He’d never forget that.

A few years passed almost uneventfully, of course there was the arguments from time to time, but most of the time they were a harmonious family. Until the day that everything changed. Clara was pregnant again. The news came as a shock to her, as she wasn’t planning on having another child just yet. She didn’t have the heart for abortion, so decided to keep the baby full term. The pregnancy was difficult, with lots of morning sickness and restless nights, but eventually, a healthy baby boy was born. They named them Rory and Jack Oswald-Smith. In memory of the Doctor’s lost companions.  
This time around however, Clara struggled. She couldn’t bring herself to hold the boys, or sometimes even look at them. She felt as if she didn’t deserve them. She felt as if the world was crashing down around her. She was tired all of the time and just wanted to hide away from everyone, so the Doctor was left to look after Rory and Jack on his own. Whilst the children were asleep, the Doctor sat with Clara as she lay in bed, and did everything he could to convince her to help him. It took weeks, but eventually she came round. It was difficult still, but things got easier as time went on. Time heals everything. It always does. 

When Rory and Jack were six months old, Clara decided she would return to work full-time and leave her husband to parenting duties as well as home-schooling Eleanor. The Doctor’s days were filled with nappy changes and stroppy six year-olds, as Eleanor was claiming she didn’t need to be taught anymore, she was apparently clever enough. Clara would return from work to find the house a mess and the Doctor asleep whilst the children sat in front of the television.

Clara would shout and stomp and Eleanor and the Doctor would make the usual joke that her eyes inflated, much to Clara’s annoyance. She eventually gave in and worked part time. The school became her escape from drooling nine month olds and her messy husband. During her time at home, she taught Eleanor to bake. They baked everything you could possibly dream of, but not much of it worked. The recipes that did work, however, were celebrated with Polaroids and hot chocolate. Over the years they collected scrapbooks full of pictures, from bakes the children sat in front of the television. They documented everything.  
The Doctor taught the boys to ride bikes once they were five, and he and Clara watched on proudly as their sons rode around the street on their custom built bikes. 

They were, for the most part, normal.


	3. The Chaos Continues

Most of the time, their days were normal. Human normal. No aliens to kill, no planets to save. Nothing. Until one day, however, the TARDIS picked up a Dalek signal in East London, five kilometres from Clara’s school.

The Dalek was about to exterminate the first student, when the Doctor appeared. Disaster was almost averted with seconds to spare, as he managed to start the Dalek’s self-destruct mechanism. What he didn’t know, is how powerful the Dalek was. Half the school burned with it. Nobody died, but many were injured. Including Clara.  
She nearly died that day, and the Doctor could never forgive himself. For weeks he nursed her back to health and then followed her round apologising, looking like a deer caught in the headlights every time she looked at him. He didn’t let her out of his sight for at least two months. 

After the incident, Clara became more hostile, towards both the Doctor and their children. Snapping easily, and breaking down crying at the tiniest thing. The Daleks. Seeing the Dalek brought back all of the memories she’d tried so hard to repress. The Echo Oswin being a Dalek, she had some of her memories, and being trapped inside a Dalek by Missy. Things she never wanted to remember, but was forced to.

She refused to return to Coal Hill for a while, and retreated further into herself with every day. Eleanor noticed, but the others were too young. The Doctor was helpless. He couldn’t get a sentence in before she snapped at him. Every day it was becoming more difficult to hide it from their children, the boys were getting older and beginning to understand more, and he was running out of options.

He had tried an Ood therapist, he had tried physically forcing her out of bed, regardless of how many curse words it earned him, and he had also tried shocking her into talking to him by pretending to be sick. None of them worked. He had one last option. One last chance. ‘If you don’t talk to me within the next 24 hours, I’m filing for a divorce.’ He said. She glared at him, and rolled over. The reality of what he said hit her a few hours later, as she woke up in their bed alone from a nightmare. Every other night he’d been there comforting her, but tonight he was gone. 

Shaking and crying, she walked downstairs in an attempt to find him, to speak to him, to hug him, but he was gone. The TARDIS was gone. She fell to the floor in tears in front of where the TARDIS is usually parked, and began hyperventilating. Her breathing became ragged as she curled up into a ball on the floor and sobbed. The realisation of what she’d done was too much for her to bare. She’d ruined her marriage and her family, all because she was selfish.

As the Doctor waited for Clara to either pass out or drift off to sleep, all he could do was watch on the monitors. He could feel his hearts breaking more by the second and every time she whispered ‘I’m so stupid’ his control over his tears broke more. For two hours he stood at the console watching, his willpower fading, as she cried herself to sleep. She needed him and he left her. He vowed, when they got married, to always be there when she needed him. Tonight, he broke that vow. After 10 years.

She lay on the floor until she had passed out, and when she woke up, she was in her bed. What she didn’t know, was that the TARDIS hadn’t moved, the Doctor had turned the invisibility shields on, so that he wouldn’t be detected. He witnessed everything through the monitors, and though it pained him to watch, she had to figure this one out on her own.   
She sat up and the tears began to fall again, as she took her husband’s hand in her own and whispered two words. ‘I’m sorry.’ She said, as she began to sob uncontrollably. The Doctor held her in his arms until the crying subsided, and she fell back to sleep.


	4. The Chaos Resolves

When she woke the next morning, they agreed to sit and talk whilst the children were at school. They spent hours attempting to discuss their issues, but all they did was shout. She would accuse him of things he didn’t do, and he would furiously deny them. She was blaming him for Missy’s actions, and there was nothing he could do about it.   
He eventually gave up and stormed off downstairs, so he could sit and think. He went into the kitchen and made himself coffee and then retreated to the comfort of the TARDIS. When he emerged later that evening, he found Clara and Eleanor cooking dinner for the family, whilst Rory and Jack set the table. They were going to have their first family meal in a year.  
Whilst still undetected, he stood and watched his family. He admired his beautiful wife as she cooked almost expertly, and their beautiful children as they helped in any way they could. It really was the stuff of dreams. He was so distracted by watching them, that he dropped his coffee mug and shattered it.  
They all sat and ate, and for the first time in a year, they felt normal. Nobody arguing, nobody missing. Dinner conversation thankfully remained on school, as Eleanor had been given her first project and the boys had maths homework to do. After dinner, the children went to play upstairs, whilst the Doctor and Clara tidied the kitchen.   
They mostly worked in silence, with the odd word being spoken now and again, until Clara mentioned seeing a therapist again, and that she was willing to do so. They agreed that she would go only once a week, unless she felt she needed more. She was committed to recovery and they were going to work this out together.  
The therapist they chose wasn’t an earth therapist, as they wouldn’t understand, but they found a good Ood therapist on the Ood Sphere, who she appeared to get on well with. The Doctor went with her, at first, whilst the children were in school, but eventually as she got better, the Doctor no longer needed to go with her, as she wasn’t having breakdowns every session.   
Clara discussed everything with the therapist, from throwing herself into the Doctor’s time stream, to being trapped in the Dalek. They discussed memories she had of other echoes of herself, and things she didn’t necessarily want to remember. It took months, but she was finally beginning to be okay again. She could sleep most nights without being woken by a nightmare.  
Clara eventually returned to Coal Hill part time, and they went from there. The Doctor would stay at home and tinker with the TARDIS or build new contraptions for the children to play with, whilst his family were at school and work, and when they returned, they would eat and then spend the evening together watching TV or playing a game.  
As the children were now ten and six, they decided that they would introduce them properly to the TARDIS, and take them on an adventure. They went to Hedgewick's World of Wonders, which had now re-opened and was thankfully uneventful, and had a wonderful weekend. The children ran wild on the theme park, whilst the Doctor and Clara watched, reflecting on the last time they were here.  
The adventures continued most weekends, with them visiting the markets of Akhaten twice and visiting Strax, Jenny and Vastra in Victorian London, as they hadn’t been in a while. The children grew fond of the TARDIS and adventures with their parents, and everything seemed to be working again, and things were going back to normal. As normal as it could be for a Time Lord and his Human wife and children who occasionally time travelled to other planets, anyway.


	5. The Holiday (Part 1)

The summer holidays came around quickly, and they decided they were going to go on holiday. A normal, human holiday. They booked to go to Cornwall and stay in a little cottage by the sea, and they planned some activities to do whilst they were down there. Clara insisted on the cottage with a thatched roof, as she had always wanted to stay in one as a little girl, and it was either there or Blackpool. Cornwall was the obvious choice.

The Doctor was less than enthusiastic about a normal holiday, and questioned multiple times why they couldn’t just bring the children on board the TARDIS for the six weeks and then return to earth on time for the next school term. Apparently, the stories about what they did over the summer holidays had to be believable. 

The holiday started with an argument over whether or not they were taking the TARDIS. The answer was no, as Clara was the boss and nobody dared undermine her. The Doctor took a key with him anyway so he could summon the TARDIS if needed. What Clara didn’t know couldn’t harm her.

Once the suitcases were packed and in the car, there was barely enough room in the seven seater for all five of them. They were only going for a week, but Clara ended up taking three outfits each for each day, just in case of emergency. She was definitely a teacher.

They set off on the five hour drive with picnics prepared and children entertained, but that didn’t last long. About an hour in, the Doctor was that bored in the passenger seat that he began to dismantle the car radio and mess with it with his sonic screwdriver. Fair to say Clara was extremely annoyed, as she now had to listen to him ramble on, because as per usual, he had broken the thing he was ‘fixing’.

The Doctor began to tell Clara stories of when he used to travel alone, and which planets he saved. Fifteen minutes into the story and Clara wished she travelled alone, too. When she rolled her eyes at him for the ninth time, he began to lecture her on the medical effects of rolling her eyes too much, and how the way her eyes should be rolling is backwards, preferably in the bedroom.

Two hours into the drive, and Clara was going insane. The children were hungry, the Doctor was still waffling on about something she stopped listening to a while ago, and the traffic was horrendous. She decided to stop at the nearest service station for a picnic and a loo break.

When they finally arrived there they set up their tartan picnic blanket on the grass and sat down to eat. Just as they had finished their first sandwich, it began to rain. Typical. They quickly packed everything into the car, and set off on their journey again, everyone hoping it wouldn’t take longer than three hours. Hope did not do them much justice.

Five hours later, they were still an hour away from the cottage. It was still raining and they had ran out of snacks, so they resorted to opening the second picnic basket. Much to everyone’s delight, the Doctor was telling the children tales of his and Clara’s adventures on Skaro and Gallifrey, when they heard a loud bang and the car stopped.

The Doctor clamped his hand over Clara’s mouth to stop her cursing before he exited the car to investigate. Not only had the engine broken, but he shut the car bonnet on his head on his way back to the car. They were stranded on the motorway and the mechanic was stuck in traffic half an hour away. 

Their holiday had clearly gotten off to an excellent start.


	6. The Holiday (Part 2)

They finally arrived at the cottage two hours later, much to Clara’s relief. She was sick and tired of listening to the Doctor moan about how he could’ve fixed the engine if she’d have let him bring the TARDIS. They decided that they were going to unpack the car regardless of the weather, because apparently Clara has to change outfits to sleep in. Humans are weird.

With the car unpacked and takeout ordered, the children were running wild in one of the bedrooms whilst the Doctor gave Clara a shoulder massage on the sofa downstairs. Clara decided now would be the time to talk about having another child. Could she manage it after last time? They weren’t sure. She had always wanted children, but if her Post-Natal Depression was going to come back, they weren’t sure they wanted to risk their marriage again.

Clara was dozing off in the Doctor’s arms, when the doorbell rang. The children ran down the stairs screaming and shouting for Pizza, whilst Clara found plates for everyone. The Doctor dished out the Pizza as Clara put Frozen in the DVD player in the lounge. They all sat and watched Frozen whilst they ate, trying their best to ignore the Doctor’s comments about how it was ‘unrealistic’ and that Elsa ‘must have sonic powers’. Honestly, Time Lords ruin everything.

The next morning, they decided on a picnic at the beach, as the weather had brightened up. Clara packed a hamper full of food whilst the Doctor located beach towels, swimming costumes and a picnic mat.

Once they had arrived at the beach, the children decided they wanted to build a sandcastle, whilst Clara read her book and the Doctor took a catnap. After about half an hour, the children decided that they were going to bury the Doctor in the sand whilst he was asleep. Clara noticed what they were doing, and got up to help. Just as she had finished taking pictures of the Doctor, who was buried neck deep in sand, he woke up.

Fifteen minutes later, the children and Clara were soaked through after being thrown in the sea by a very unamused Doctor. Clara was fuming. She was stood in her shorts and T-shirt soaking wet on a beach with no proper change of clothes. 

Clara stormed off the beach leaving the Doctor and their children behind, so they decided to pack the things and head back to the car, hoping to catch up with Clara on the way. By the time they arrived at the car, Clara was sat in the driver’s seat sobbing and shaking. The Doctor instantly knew that she was having a panic attack, so sat the children in the back of the car, and climbed into the driver’s seat, pulling Clara onto his lap.

She began talking really fast about how she looked like a mess and people were going to judge her and how she was a bad mother and that she didn’t deserve the children, who were preoccupied with the TV screens in the back of the car, and that people were going to laugh at her for crying over it.

He stroked her hair and whispered into her ear until she finally began to calm down and breathe somewhat normally. She eventually was able to move off from the Doctor’s lap and sit in the passenger seat as he drove them home earlier than expected.

Once they arrived at the cottage, he carried an exhausted Clara up the stairs into their room and left her to go and keep the children entertained with a DVD. When he returned upstairs, she was lay crying and clutching the pillows so tightly he thought she was going to rip them. He moved her so that he could lie down and hold her until she calmed down and fell asleep. Clara kept saying how much she hates herself, and every time she said it, the Doctor’s hearts broke a little bit more.


End file.
